> Go to Script | Idioms Quiz | Gap-fill Exercise




I. Warm Up

One of the biggest worries among students is succeeding in school, and many more students are considering distance education as a way to get an online degree from the comfort of their home. However, such programs can be just as demanding as traditional classes and require a lot of discipline and motivation to complete. What do you think are the advantages of getting a college degree from an online school? Listen to this conversation and pick out the reasons why Ryan is getting all stressed out.


2. Conversation

Pronunciation Tip: YOU changes to YA.

Listen to the conversation and answer the questions. Alex and Ryan are currently enrolled in a distance education and are meeting for lunch to catch up on recent events in their lives.

3. Retelling the Story

Instructions: Retell the story above using the vocabulary you have learned. Then discuss with a partner how your own educational experiences have been the same or different.

4. Expanding Your Learning

InstructionsSelect one or more of the activities below to expand your understanding and use of the slang studied in this unit.

  • Discussion: Talk with a partner about how our choices in high school affect our opportunities later on. For example, if we have poor study habits now and we goof off, we might not be able to get into a good college or university.
  • Improvisation: Give your partner(s) a new vocabulary word from this unit and ask the partner to think up a sentence or more with the slang used in context. Sharing something from personal experience will make the activity more real and interesting to the listeners.
  • Writing: Compose an email to your teacher or a friend about your own study habits now or in the past. Relate a specific experience where hitting the books hard helped you achieve success on a particular test or in a class. Transition words of time (first, next, then, after that, finally) can help you write a good narration.
  • Real Speak: Interview a native speaker at your school or in the local community about his or her educational experience in junior high, high school, or college. Try to prepare some questions in advance to encourage and direct the interview (e.g., Did you ever sluff school, and if so, why? Did you get in trouble for doing so?, Did you ever pull an all-nighter cramming for a test, and if yes, for what class? Do you think that is an effective way prepare for exams?).

> Go to Script | Idioms Quiz | Gap-fill Exercise